Genius Products has finally gotten around to revealing some of the tracks for their upcoming rhythm title Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, with Beastie Boys, Kanye West, and The Black Eyed Peas making the cut.

Announced back in October of last year, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ is a rhythm game like no other, despite looking like a rhythm game like just about every other. Unlike other rhythm titles, Scratch will allow players to re-imagine songs on the fly, but up until now we've had no inkling of what songs we would be re-imagining. Well now we know, and some of the biggest names in hip hop are coming on board.

The first five songs in Scratch's set list are Kanye West's "Flashing Lights", "Intergalactic" from the Beastie Boys, Tech N9ne's "Slacker", Eric B. and Rakim's "Don't Sweat the Technique", and The Black Eyed Peas with that one song they released that got everyone started and then quickly grew old.

Along with the newly announced tracks, Genius has promised music from The Gorillaz, Deltron 3030, Nelly, and Run DMC, as well as music from the upcoming solo album from Beastie Boy Mixmaster Mike, who is also providing creative and technical support for the game.

Could Scratch have what it takes to take on Activision's upcoming DJ Hero? It's too early to tell, but it's off to a damn fine start.

Possibly old news to some, but this has to be awesome incarnate like out of a page of Seaquest DSV! And just look at the spandex!

THE VIRTUSPHERE

Here's a nicley copied and pasted article...

Walk in cyberspace: With virtual-reality software, users feel like they're moving even if they're actually sitting on the couch. VirtuSphere wanted to create a device that would allow the user to move limitlessly while using such software - without bumping into walls or falling over.

The solution: VirtuSphere, founded in November, created a giant hollow ball that works like a spinning hamster wheel. Wearing a head-mounted display, a user can step inside the 8.5-foot-tall sphere and experience physical movements while the mind is in cyberspace. "The purpose is to enable natural motion," said Palladin. "You can walk and there is no limit."

How it works: As the user moves, the ball rolls, sending coordinates to a computer. The computer evaluates the information and relays it back to the user's display in the form of a changed view. The sphere, which costs between $50,000 and $100,000, can be made compatible with any computer-based simulations.

Who's buying: 12 customers, primarily the U.S. military and law-enforcement professionals.

Edu-tainment: Using a grant from the Washington Technology center, VirtuSphere has teamed up with the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology lab to develop educational and entertainment uses for the sphere. Palladin said potential uses include helping patients overcome phobias and spicing up a treadmill workout. He also wants to create a cheaper version for home use.

Man and machine: Russian inventors and brothers Ray and Nurulla Latypov wanted to create a way for people to move instead of just sitting while accessing a virtual-reality world. Their first effort looked a lot like a treadmill, but users would have to be attached or fall off. It took an estimated 40 years of man-hours and seven different models to create the current form of the sphere. The inventors recruited Palladin, who worked at Microsoft and Intel, to run the business.

The next step: VirtuSphere isn't forgetting about smell, touch and sound. The company wants to add buzzers to simulate a hit during virtual target practice or smells to make a game more lifelike.

"When you go to prison you can also be raped," Mathis said. "We may see young people who make the wrong choice and go to prison and are assaulted repeatedly."

Wow. I mean, really? Kids want to play that? Makes me chuckle.

Anyway, if anyone hasn't been keeping up, (I know EA is the devil and all, but still...) EA is putting out a new version of FIGHT NIGHT on June 30th. It looks like it's going to be sports game of the year. Looks like it's fixing A LOT of problems that fans have been complaining about for years. I know I'm excited.

A game where you have to infect the world with your own created virus. Try to bring on the demise of mankind. And then, after a few hours play, if the world is going to end, don't you want to move to Madagascar?

A game where you have to infect the world with your own created virus. Try to bring on the demise of mankind. And then, after a few hours play, if the world is going to end, don't you want to move to Madagascar?

Wow! A fun time-waster!!!

Achievement Unlocked: TOTAL DOMINATION (Win a Werewolf Game without losing a single player on your team)

I have the original PSP. I rarely, if ever, use it for games.It makes a much better portable video player than my iPod does, though.This new one looks interesting. I have a feeling that if I had a PS3 that I'd really want one. Someday, perhaps.

Achievement Unlocked: TOTAL DOMINATION (Win a Werewolf Game without losing a single player on your team)

With this pseudo-leak so close to E3, do you think Sony have anything big up their sleeve that can overshadow the new psp?I mean, Dave Perry pretty much announced it months ago when he said he had a dev kit & whatnot & Sony were trying to keep the hush hush, so they must've known that this would happen.

MS have got the horrible Eye Toy type thing & probably something Halo related, so that could be a washout.

Nintendo apparently have a new Pikmin or other old franchise that they plan to revive, possibly the merging of wii points & DS points too. Nothing really huge though, unless they revive Starfox.I'm not sure why they didn't hold Punch Out back a few months & make a big deal of it this E3.

King Of Nowhere wrote:With this pseudo-leak so close to E3, do you think Sony have anything big up their sleeve that can overshadow the new psp?I mean, Dave Perry pretty much announced it months ago when he said he had a dev kit & whatnot & Sony were trying to keep the hush hush, so they must've known that this would happen.

MS have got the horrible Eye Toy type thing & probably something Halo related, so that could be a washout.

Nintendo apparently have a new Pikmin or other old franchise that they plan to revive, possibly the merging of wii points & DS points too. Nothing really huge though, unless they revive Starfox.I'm not sure why they didn't hold Punch Out back a few months & make a big deal of it this E3.

Captain Kirk set the lawyers to stun when he heard a skin was coming for the PSN game "Shatter," using his likeness and including a remix of Big Bill's "Mr. Tambourine Man" cover. One problem: the news was a joke.

Two weeks back, New Zealand site Game Console wrote up a spoof about Kiwi dev Sidhe, based in Wellington, claiming they were developing a skin for the breakout/Arkanoid clone that would replace the blocks with Shatner's face, among other things.

Taking apparently everything at face value, Boston Legal swooped in with a cease-and-desist to Sidhe. and, not only that, notified Paramount Studios (the Star Trek licensor) and Bob Dylan of the developments.

Its worth checking the link for the game publishers response.

Edit: Just yesterday I noticed the game on the psn store, and done a double take as I thought it said shatner..

MonkeyM666 wrote:Possibly old news to some, but this has to be awesome incarnate like out of a page of Seaquest DSV! And just look at the spandex!

THE VIRTUSPHERE

Here's a nicley copied and pasted article...

Walk in cyberspace: With virtual-reality software, users feel like they're moving even if they're actually sitting on the couch. VirtuSphere wanted to create a device that would allow the user to move limitlessly while using such software - without bumping into walls or falling over.

The solution: VirtuSphere, founded in November, created a giant hollow ball that works like a spinning hamster wheel. Wearing a head-mounted display, a user can step inside the 8.5-foot-tall sphere and experience physical movements while the mind is in cyberspace. "The purpose is to enable natural motion," said Palladin. "You can walk and there is no limit."

How it works: As the user moves, the ball rolls, sending coordinates to a computer. The computer evaluates the information and relays it back to the user's display in the form of a changed view. The sphere, which costs between $50,000 and $100,000, can be made compatible with any computer-based simulations.

Who's buying: 12 customers, primarily the U.S. military and law-enforcement professionals.

Edu-tainment: Using a grant from the Washington Technology center, VirtuSphere has teamed up with the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology lab to develop educational and entertainment uses for the sphere. Palladin said potential uses include helping patients overcome phobias and spicing up a treadmill workout. He also wants to create a cheaper version for home use.

Man and machine: Russian inventors and brothers Ray and Nurulla Latypov wanted to create a way for people to move instead of just sitting while accessing a virtual-reality world. Their first effort looked a lot like a treadmill, but users would have to be attached or fall off. It took an estimated 40 years of man-hours and seven different models to create the current form of the sphere. The inventors recruited Palladin, who worked at Microsoft and Intel, to run the business.

The next step: VirtuSphere isn't forgetting about smell, touch and sound. The company wants to add buzzers to simulate a hit during virtual target practice or smells to make a game more lifelike.

That's so cheeky. I'm sure other companies do it but this also means that it limits impartiality in the review industry. The reason reviews are there is so people can make an informed decision. If you're being told it's great by the company, that's not a review.

I dunno how it's working out for TF2, L4D seems to get a lot more sales when they do this.The 360 version gets sales when they do this as well. I'm guessing they play it for free in low res mode & buy the 360 version to get the best visual experience they can.

I've been thinking of picking up UT3 for fucking ages now. I haven't played Unreal since 99 or something.The PC will explode if i try to play it, i'll probably end up with the 360 version at some point.